ИСТИНА

Scientific interests of Polar Geophysical Institute (PGI) embrace such problems, as solar-terrestrial relations, plasma processes in the magnetosphere-ionosphere system and processes in upper polar atmosphere. At Svalbard PGI conducts regular observations at Barentsburg observatory. The equipment installed around observatory buildings 5 km north of Barentsburg (various optical instruments, induction and fluxgate magnetometers, radio interferometer and the most poleward part of PGI radio tomographic array), and neutron monitor near PGI office in Barentsburg. The neutron monitor aimed to monitoring of the cosmic rays, which are high energy (~ 1 GeV) protons and nuclei coming from space. With the use of PGI neutron monitor observations the initial characteristics (including energy spectra) of solar cosmic rays (SCR) are derived from the solution of inverse problem. Of primary interest are periods of solar flares and magnetic storms. The effects of cosmic rays in the atmospheric and climatic variations are being studied. Identical induction magnetometers with a precise time reference, which were designed and constructed in PGI for observations of geomagnetic pulsations in the frequency range of 0.1-20 Hz, are installed at PGI observatories Barentzburg (Svalbard) Lovozero (Kola Peninsula) and Verhnetlomsky (Kola Peninsula), making possible to investigate the spatial propagation of geomagnetic disturbances in the ionospheric waveguide. Due to their high sensitivity, the magnetometers are also capable of detecting weak signals excited in the Shumann and Alfvén resonators. The induction magnetometer can be used in active experiments for registration of low-frequency (~ 1 Hz) modulations of the pumping wave. Influence of seismic events to the magnetic measurements is being studied. Last decades a numerous satellite missions aimed to study the response of the Earth's space and atmospheric environment to solar drivers have been realized and are still planning. Successful use of the international near-Earth satellite mission data depends largely upon the ground-based observations in conjugate regions. The high-latitude regions have a key role in such observations as regions where varied processes in the magnetosphere, ionosphere, and atmosphere are the most prominent. We plan to imrove the data availability and traditional internation cooperations with scientific community at Svalbard by participitation in coordinated observational campaigns and scientific exchange.